Showing posts with label Art Impressions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Art Impressions. Show all posts


It's May and there is a lot to celebrate. Spring has finally sprung nationwide (although I was fortunate enough to see snow in Utah just 2 weeks ago). Graduations are happening and Poppystamps has a brand new release. I'm entering several challenges with this graduation card. It is meant for a girl who is like another daughter to me and  features several of the new PS dies. I love the way this card by Kay Miller @kaym2015 for The Color Throwdown Challenge in 2016 combines a tiny frame and flowers.

One of the challenges I am entering is the Card Concept Challenge. They have this gorgeous inspiration photo and ask you to tell what style of card you are doing. 




Until I clicked on their definitions link, I was clueless about what "style" I had picked. I really love their definitions and they will help me in the future. Today's card is Clean and Layered. I chose it because the photo is bursting with gorgeous flowers and greenery on a blue-gray background. It's like spring crammed into a square. That is what I am representing here.

I am also entering the As You Like It Challenge. I chose this design because I love squares and tiny, little details surrounded by clean space. I love miniatures (how I never owned a doll house growing up, I'll never know) and so coloring and layering *tiny paper blossoms* (ahem) on top of a stitched square frame was right up my alley.

Other challenges I am entering are:

I started with using the second and third smallest dies in Art Impressions Nested Stitched Squares die set to cut a frame from Stampin' Up!'s (retired) Baja Breeze cardstock. I knew I wanted greenery so I used Tim Holtz's Garden Greens die set and cut three pieces from Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110lb cardstock with those dies (the two green leaves and the vanilla-colored sprig). I colored these with Copics (YG95, YG97) and the vanilla was from a Spectrum Noir Tri-Blend marker.

Next, I broke open three of my brand new Poppystamp dies: Layered Fringe Flowers, Layered Lovely Flowers and Petite Blooms Flower Set. I used the smallest of these dies and colored them with a combination that was primarily Copic or Dick Blick alcohol ink markers. I watercolored one flower that had been cut from Canson XL watercolor paper with Stampin' Up!'s retired Berry Burst ink and also used my Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers on some of the yellow centers. I used a splatter stamp from Stampin' Up!'s Awesomely Artistic and Gorgeous Grunge stamp sets with Soft Sky ink to apply a controlled splatter to the background. I layered my flowers and leaves under and on top of the frame using foam adhesive tape and the same Neenah cardstock for my card base. I just loved the sentiment of "At Last" from Stampin' Up!'s And Many More stamp set and added that - stamped in black - on the side of the frame, per both the sketch and Kay Miller's card. I added a few sequins to catch the light and I was done.

This is a very different type of graduation card, but I think "Daughter #4" will like it (FYI, I have 2 daughters, but 3 other girls who are best friends with my daughters who my husband and I refer to as "#3, #4, and #5" - we love them all). 



I just love a good card challenge (or two, or three). I decided to make a card to enter both a MFT Stamps challenge and the Color Throwdown Challenge this week. The MFT Challenge called for a mini slimline with the measurements of 3 x 6". I've only made two of these before, so I was up for the challenge again. Color Throwdown asked for using bright pink, bright turquoise blue, bright lime green and black. This adorable van and surfboard from MFT's Sunny Vibes stamp set was going to be perfect (and a world away from all the Christmas stuff I've been making). 


I am a giant fan of Inge Groot, one of the members of the MFT Design Team and an amazing card maker. Check out her excellent work here. I wanted to use her style of a white background and then plenty of colorful layers. I colored the van and surfboard with alcohol ink markers and simply skipped the items that would not have been one of the 4 colors in the challenge, hence why the tree trunks are white and not brown (an Inge Groot trick). I noticed that if I put the van down onto a white square it was really going to be white on white. So, I lightly inked the white square with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink to create some definition while still keeping to my color scheme. I glued down two die cut trees and then popped up the van/surfboard image on a die cut stitched square.  

To create more color I added two more die cut squares (the blue is a little larger) sticking with my color scheme. To work the black in, I added a fishtail banner straight down the center of the card with a black and white polka dot paper. Then I used a sentiment strip popped up off a striped black and white scrap for more definition. 

I was very pleased with how I worked all my colors together. I could get very used to this little format. 

Challenges I'm entering: MFT Slimline Challenge, Color Throwdown Challenge ctd#672

Ingredients: 

CS: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110lb

Stamps: Sunny Vibes by My Favorite Things

Dies: Sunny Vibes by My Favorite Things, Stampin' Up! Stitched Shapes, Art Impressions Nested Stitched Squares

Patterned Paper: Black & white polka dot by The Paper Studio, Poppin' Polka Dots by MFT Stamps, blue stripe is Stampin' Up! designer series paper (retired), black and white stripe is from the My Bright Life 6x6 paper pad by Jen Hadfield Home Made by American Crafts

Embellishments: Clear Wink of Stella on headlamp, Sentiment Strip by Paper Roses Black & White Sentiment Sheets

Markers: Copic, Spectrum Noir & Dick Blick

I discovered the line of Poppystamps Whittle dies at a scrapbook convention I attended in Arlington, TX in June 2021. I thought they were adorable and started with a few. I'm itching to get many more because they are so darn cute and very unique. This card came about as a response to a Color Hues Color Challenge. It took quite a while to decide on the layout and all the elements. 




CS: Neenah Solar White Classic Crest 110lb, Gina K Pure Luxury Layering Weight, Stampin' Up! Pool Party and Calypso Coral, Canson XL Watercolor Paper
Patterned Paper: Stampin Up! Soft Sky 
Inks: Stampin' Up! Calypso Coral & Pool Party
Dies: Art Impressions Nesting Stitched Squares Dies, Poppy Stamps Whittle Hippo, Sleeping Fox and Hearts dies, Mama Elephant Slim Window Dressings dies
Sentiment: Laser printed
Dry Embossing Folder: Cuttlebug
Sequins: Amazon dot com